Monday, April 23, 2012

What is your job? What
charities do you support – and how? My job is the primary charity I support.

I have
worked at the W. Haywood Burns Institute (BI) for 4
years. The BI works toimprove the lives of youth of color, poor youth and all of us
by ensuring fairness in the juvenile justice system and supporting community groups
that seek to do the same.

I’m the Director of the Community Justice Network for youth (CJNY).
CJNY is a project of the BI. CJNY is a network made
up of 180 member organizations whose work focuses on keeping youth of color and
other vulnerable youth in community supports and out of the juvenile justice
system. I support these individuals across the U.S. helping them build strong
organizations and to work together to create a movement strong enough to change
this world into what our communities deserve. I support individuals who with
very little money and a lot of heart struggle with the stresses of having one
or more loved ones locked up while trying to keep their doors open. I spend
quite a few nights on the phone at 2am being a listening ear, thinking through
strategic questions or giving a dose of hope gained from my personal struggles
and triumphs.

Central to my work is creating programs built on these
relationships. It’s my job to help identify organizations that can support one
another, provide the resources and logistics to organize ‘peer exchanges.’
Basically strategically getting the right people in the room, creating a safe
accessible space for dialog and learning and then- get the hell outta the way.
The Peer Exchange Program is one of the most powerful things I’ve ever seen.
The lessons and relationships built from a one day session with Friends and
Families of Louisianans Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) teaching and learning
from Texas Families of Incarcerated Youth (TFIY) is a million times greater
than the lessons any academic could ever give in 5 hour power point
presentation.

My work is also about holding decision makers accountable within
juvenile justice systems across the United States. I have seen bias at play in
decision-making that is just wrong and unfair. It can’t be that two kids do the
same crime but one is sent home and the other spends a week locked up and 2
years probation. It can’t be that because a kid is homeless or their mom smokes
rock or that he is transgender that he deserves to be in juvenile detention. It
can’t be that way, but is it. Part of my work is to help groups organize
against these issues, stop them and quite often provide alternatives to system
involvement.

What social causes are most
important to you?

The
harmful and unsustainable prison industry has gotta go. There are other ways to
provide public safety and justice. We must actualize more and more
alternatives. Also extremely important to me is the unequal distribution of
wealth across the globe, such server imbalance and greed it’s bringing this
world to its knees. Also although it maybe unpopular I find it extremely
important to serve people who many else won’t even acknowledge – the
transgendered community, the sex workers… I think as a society we need to get
it together and have respect for everyone.

Why do you have a passion
for this one in particular, is there a personal tie?

I
work for kids lives to get better, be safe, secure…cuz I think I started
fighting for myself and realized that I was not alone. I faced rejection and
navigating the world on my own much too young. And it happening mostly in the
name of God was difficult on a whole other self-hate level. I saw those in
authority that are supposed to protect us including police being so violent and
exploiting vulnerable youth. But I understood quickly I was not alone within my
suffering and not alone in fighting to change it. This sparked a passion in me
to work for change and helped deal with my rage. This passion has never
stopped.

Is there a particular way
you would want to encourage readers to be involved?

I
would ask each person reading this to think about one thing they could do to
help those in most need. To suspend judgment and just give of yourself. Maybe
it’s clothes for the homeless shelter; a little present for a foster kid- there
are so many ways to help. To make the greatest impact I believe joining an
organization, working with others in your local area is our greatest hope. If
we can learn to work together our collective strengths are magnified way beyond
what an individual can do. People would be surprised how easy it is to plug in-
just internet search your geographical area combined with your helping interest
area and the word organization and BLAMO or feel free to contact me- part of my
job is to link people with opportunities to help in their local area.

How would you define social
responsibility?

Social
responsibility is both the duty all of us have to work toward collective
wellness as well as the action of doing so.

Do you have any tattoos that
relate to your social work?

Three
of my tattoos reflect my journey I have been through, the struggle of those in
jail or who has a loved one in the juvenile or adult system and our transitions
within the pain and in peace. In old English, one down each upper arm I have
Fierce (Irish Gaelic) and Peace (in Spanish). Both reminding me to honor my
ancestors as well as get though the hardest sh*& with ferocity and also
with a sense of peace. Like wholeness within the brokenness. These were done by
Natalie at Black and Blue tattoo in SF.

I
have the Virgin (Our Lady of Fátima) on my forearm in a
quarter sleeve. This tattoo is in honor of my Grama who took me as an older kid
when I really needed it and couldda gone down a much rougher path. She always
said the Virgin made and I love you just like she does. This saved my heart and
taught me that the way people act gives God a bad name but the greatest of all
things is unconditional love. My Grama even came with me to get this tat done.
‘Joe’ in SF did it, he’s a small, red haired muralist, skate deck designer and
tattoo artist. He worked out of a little studio offa 14th by
Valencia. I lost his number but would love to recommend him to the world. If
anyone knows how to reach him let me know!